Spring brought unusually heavy pollen

Friday

Apr 16, 2010 at 1:41 PMApr 16, 2010 at 7:38 PM

Weather conditions made annual visit more intense.

The best way an allergy sufferer can make it through this spring's pollen season is to stay indoors and sleep in the refrigerator, which can interfere with normal activities, such as breathing.So for most people stricken with sneezing, a runny nose and itchy eyes, the next best thing is a heavy reliance and Benadryl and Kleenex, two products that should have seen a spike in sales in the weeks since Easter.People ask whether weather is the cause of such heavy pollen, the worst that most can remember. Most experts say, yes, the weather is to blame.We had a wet and cold winter that lingered later than usual. That helped the trees to develop healthy buds and build up pollen, but kept the buds from opening early. Then we had an onset of 80-degree weather that seemed to skip spring and go straight into summer. The abrupt change triggered a pollen storm that is blowing still.Like a lot of other things, the blanket of pollen comes down to sex. It is the mating season, not only for the birds and the bees, but for the shrubs and the trees. Male trees cast their pollen into the air, hoping that the wind will take it to a receptive female. Deciduous trees such as oaks, hickories and maples are the most promiscuous pollinators in spring.Our little corner is buffered by a barrier of mature trees. We have dogwoods, crape myrtles, lilacs, tulip trees, Bradford pears, a couple of maples and an apple tree. But mostly we are surrounded by willow oaks, tall spreading trees that are veritable pollen factories. I am one of the fortunate who make it through the pollen season without much trouble. For me, heavy pollen means only that the cars we park outside will get covered with a thick coat of sticky yellow powder. I can hose the stuff away without a sniffle.But for my bride it is a different story. She is allergic to many things, not just pollen, so she keeps Kleenex at the ready much of the year, not just in spring. I love the smell of a freshly cut lawn or hay field, but my dear mate stays indoors when I mow the grass and closes all the car windows and vents when we drive in the country.She likes to work outside in the flower beds, but swollen eyes and a wheezy throat keep her indoors much of the time when pollen fills the air. She hasn't said anything about sleeping in the fridge, but I think she would be pleased if I came home with an oxygen tent.The weather that has driven the pollen count up has also made the trees and shrubs more beautiful than we have seen in years. The Bradford pears are still covering the driveway with the last of their blossoms and the dogwoods are just about at peak.The forsythia, fashion leaders in spring, were retarded by the late cold but have now traded their yellow dresses for green. The small pink and red azaleas are blooming, and the large ones that bear saucer-sized white blossoms are ready to explode any day. The Japanese magnolias that we call tulip trees lost their blossoms to the last wind and rain, but lilacs still by the poolside bloom. The crape myrtles will be next.We had some exceptionally heavy rains after the snow finally stopped falling, but already the trees and bushes need water. The warm sunny days that brought everything into bloom are coming six or seven in a row, and we are waiting for the forecast to call for rain. I emptied my rain barrels through a soaker hose under the oakleaf hydrangeas and rhododendrons that were showing stress, so now I need a rain to refill them.I held back for fear of a late frost, but I think now I can safely roll my potted lemon trees out of the garage. They are covered with blooms and ready for some sunshine. And I think I can set out the heirloom tomato plants the bride brought home last week. If I want her to help me with these jobs, I may have to break out the paper face masks so the pollen won't make her cough and cry.

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